NHS Scotland: Number of operations highest since Covid

The figures for May this year show that a total of 2,003 operations scheduled for theatre in May were cancelled, including 475 for "capacity reasons".

This mostly relates to a lack of available beds or staff, such as theatre nurses, surgeons or anaesthetists.

READ MORE: Scotland and England - what's going on behind the NHS waiting list divide? 

However, the majority of procedures were either cancelled by the patient (730) or by the NHS for clinical reasons (734).

It comes as the NHS battles to clear backlogs following Covid.

The most recent statistics indicate that more than 17,000 patients in Scotland had been waiting over 18 months for an inpatient or day case procedure as of March this year, including nearly 7000 who had been waiting over two years.

The Scottish Government previously pledged to eradicate waits of two-plus years for operations "in most specialties" by the end of September 2022, and waits over 18 months by the end of September 2023.

Orthopaedics, ENT (ear, nose and throat), urology, and general surgery are worst affected.

Planned operations are at the highest level since February 2020, but have not yet returned to the 2019 norm (Image: PHS)

It also comes as junior doctors in Scotland prepare to strike over pay for the first time in NHS Scotland's history.

Doctors-in-training are due to stage a 72-hour walkout starting next Wednesday.

Scottish Labour Health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie warned that this could set back the NHS recovery.

She said: “Far too many patients are being failed because hospitals simply cannot cope – stuck for months or even years on NHS waiting lists, only to have their operation cancelled at the last minute.

“Staff are working tirelessly to keep things going, but they are also being let down the SNP’s disastrous mismanagement of our NHS.

“This bleak picture is set to get worse still if the SNP fail to prevent strike chaos from hitting services and driving up waiting lists.

“The reality is Scottish hospitals cannot afford any more pressure – the SNP must get round the table and agree a fair deal for junior doctors.”

READ MORE: Pensioner in three-year wait for knee replacement says 'I can't go on'

Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Scottish Conservative health spokesman, added: “The backlog of operations is still standing at staggering levels and many patients are continuing to lie in agony as they suffer intolerable waits for appointments.

"This is often caused by a lack of beds being available due to the SNP’s failure to get on top of delayed discharge.

“The scale of this challenge is only likely to escalate – as the First Minister has admitted himself – if looming strikes by junior doctors ultimately take place.

“Often patients are having planned operations cancelled at the last minute which is utterly soul-destroying for them and sums up why the dispute with Scotland’s junior doctors must be resolved as quickly as possible."

Delayed discharge is mostly caused by delays in social care provision, but can also relate to legal disagreements or 'Code 9' complex cases (Image: PHS)

Separate figures released by Public Health Scotland (PHS) also show that an average of 1,744 hospital beds a day in May were occupied by patients fit to leave but unable to be discharged, typically due to delays in finding social care.

This means that roughly one in eight beds which should be available to new admissions are being blocked.

However, there was some improvement in the A&E performance.

According to PHS, 70.8% of patients who attended A&E units during May were seen, treated, and subsequently admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours.

This is the highest since June 2022, although it still remains well short of the 95% target.

The number of patients spending over 12 hours in A&E departments also stood at more than 3,700 in May - down from a peak of 8,800 in December, but much higher than the 204 in May 2019.

A&E departments remain under significant strain due to bottlenecks in the system, including delayed discharge (Image: Getty)

READ MORE: A&E delays and excess deaths - is this the new normal?

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said he was "encouraged" by the latest figures.

He said: "Hospital bed occupancy continues to be a major factor impacting on performance, which is why we are working to reduced instances of delayed discharge and are continuing to expand our Hospital at Home capacity.

"Performance against the four-hour target has stabilised.

"However, we know performance is not where it needs to be and we are working closely with the health boards facing the greatest challenges in A&E to drive down waiting times and improve services for patients and staff."